Okay y’all I’m finally sharing my book recommendations – just in time for Christmas! One of our family’s special traditions is to gift books on Christmas Eve. We were inspired to do this by the Icelandic tradition called Jolabokaflod, or “Christmas Book Flood”. The tradition is to give and unwrap new books on Christmas eve, cozy up with family and read into the night. This is one of my favorite holiday activities. We also gift books on at least one night of Hanukkah every year, and usually incorporate books about Hanukkah and Jewish culture throughout our Hanukkah celebrations.
To celebrate our Jolabokaflod, we choose a special wrapping paper (or two) that’s only to be used for wrapping books and we place them under our “Travel Tree”. This is a smaller Christmas Tree we have in our family room decorated with ornaments we’ve purchased from our travels. Mark and I started this Travel Tree tradition many years ago and we love it. Wherever we travel we find a special keepsake ornament as a souvenir. When we put up our little travel tree every year, we’re reminded of many special memories and the exciting places we’ve been.
I don’t think one can ever have too many books, so incorporating books into our gift-giving for the holidays and other special occasions is important to our family 🙂
About the books below…
I tried to break out the books into sections based on my personal tastes, tastes of Mark and Maeve, and various topics.
I LOVE murder mystery novels / psychological thrillers so I’d say those make up about 90% of what I read regularly. I like to read WWII dramatic novels as well, so I’ve included a few of those on my list, too! You’ll also notice a French theme to many of my selections (shocking, I know). I have not included ALL my favorites, but many of the “top” books I love – or at the very least included a majority of my favorite authors. You’ll see notations below on books that are part of a series or are from an author I particularly like.
Also included are some cookbooks and a few of my favorite parenting-related books – some to help prepare for baby, raise baby, and a book that has specifically helped me to cope with birth trauma and postpartum PTSD.
I encourage you to leave other recommendations in the page comments below, I’m always looking for new authors and titles to add to my reading list and I will try to update this list regularly as I find more.
xoxo, Miss Mariss
Some of my favorites…
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
*OK y’all this is seriously one of the best books I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put it down. THE SUSPENSE!!
Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan
A friend recommended this to me and I loved it, there are a few other books in the series and I have yet to read but they are definitely on my list!
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Absolutely wonderful, I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. A delightfully thrilling story in an unexpected setting.
The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz
*One of my top authors with many more great novels in this series + a few others!
The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Another Anthony Horowitz series series I loved!
*Another one of my top authors. I have read every Ruth Ware book and loved them all. They’re easy reads and always fun.
The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda
*Top author – Megan Miranda’s books always have me on the edge of my seat. This is just one of many MM books I love! I think at this point I’ve read almost all of her novels.
Murder on Brittany Shores by Jean-Luc Bannalec
I really enjoyed reading a these novels that take place in Brittany. I read them while preparing for our trip there and can’t wait to return again + read more!
Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardóttir
Another travel-inspired novel. I picked this up at the airport when leaving Iceland and really enjoyed it. There are more in the series and they’re also on my list to read in the future!
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Not a thriller – this is a WWII period novel. One of the most beautifully written stories I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. I believe they’re making a movie based on this novel, too. Can’t recommend enough.
A historical biography I actually couldn’t put down…
For the romantic Francophile…
And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
*Top Author – I loved The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns so this was a logical selection.
Mark’s Favorites…
Expecting, Parenting + Postpartum…
A few of Maeve’s favorites…
Maeve has a lot of favorite books, so I’ve tried my best to simplify and include just a few of them here. I am constantly adding to Maeve’s book collection and participate in two different regular book programs for her:
The first is the Amazon book box. I signed up to receive a book box every few months with their age-appropriate recommendations. If there is a book on the list I’m not crazy about or maybe we already own, we can switch out for some other options. Something to consider if you want to consistently receive new books for littles! You can select a program that works for you – receiving books every month, every other month, etc. Learn more about Amazon Book Box here
The next is PJ Library. This is a free program offered to Jewish families. Children receive a free Jewish book each month from birth through age 12. These books are curated with award-winning stories and activities that impart Jewish values. Sign up for PJ Library here
Little Owl’s Snow by Divya Srinivasan
Maeve LOVES this book. I think the little owl illustration is so adorable and there are many more in the series…there may be a few under the tree for her 🙂
Claris: The Chicest Mouse in Paris by Megan Hess
A children’s book + fashion + Paris…what else could I possibly want? These adorable stories are beautifully illustrated and perfect for the très chic bébé.
I am a Bunny by Richard Scarry
We actually keep this book at Bubbie & Grandpa’s house so I rarely read it to her – but whenever we’re over there it’s the first book she reaches for!
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tom Lichtenheld
This book was gifted to us and Maeve loves it — she often brings it up to me and requests that I read it to her.
In my “to read” pile…
I own these books but haven’t read them yet:
On my wish list…
I don’t currently own these but they’re on my wish list and I’ll definitely get them at some point!
The Man Who Died Twice: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery by Richard Osman
*Can not wait to read the second book in the Thursday Murder Club series!!
Favorite Cookbooks…
I hope you find something you like on this list, please leave a comment for any recommendations!
MissMariss 